Peter Caine
Caution:
Take Seriously
(But Not Too Seriously)

Written by Alissa Atkinson

A month or so ago on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart interviewed Harry G. Frankfurt, the author of On Bullshit, a book about the skimming over of facts by the government and the media before they're inadequately presented to the public. In a nutshell: the authorities we trust are not giving us the whole story, they're just bullshitting us with the black and white, the candy-coated, or the color-coded (levels yellow, orange, and red), alternately appeasing us and scaring the crap out of us for their own agenda. While Frankfurt explained how concerned we should be, Stewart proposed, with a straight face, that perhaps it's because the bullshit is piling and piling, and the audience burst into laughter. The Daily Show has been tackling many of the issues in the country with its politically-edged fake news and a "don't take us too seriously, but yes, some of it's actually true" disclaimer. The show is over-the-top offensive, and it's allowed because it's not really news; it's comedy. And it's on cable. When all we get from the news is bullshit, we search elsewhere for the truth. Comedy is perhaps the most edible form of truth, which, when combined with limit-pushing art and no apologies, results in the work of Peter Caine. And, nowadays, with all the contemporary art that's taking itself too seriously or not seriously enough, he's a breath of fresh air.

That air just happens to be filled with Ronald Reagan's dirty diapers and Michael Jackson's child-induced boners. These are aspects of just two robotic sculptures in Caine's body of work, which has been showcased at the Whitney Biennial, the ATM Gallery, and recently, Jack the Pelican in Brooklyn. Also included is the racially-spurred "Every Cop's Fantasy"(2004), a bulging-eyed black mannequin holding cuffed hands over his head while a white cop mannequin rams a plunger up his bleeding ass. His exhibition "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto" at Jack the Pelican features LeVar Burton going down on Condoleezza Rice (decked out in full Star Trek gear), George Bush consorting with a green alien, and a cub scout Bill Clinton.

Sure, the moving, talking, offensively exaggerated installations don't bring the most conventional definition of "refreshing" to mind. They're much more disgusting than the reality they represent, and their joking nature is often crude at best. It's Caine's honesty and humor that connects with his audience, his ability to shove all the bullshit aside and hold nothing back. The New York Times has called his work "a grotesque take on an already grotesque take on American culture" and The Brooklyn Rail thinks his crudeness can be explained easily, that, "Caine's point seems to be that he's sick of having his intelligence insulted by the New York Post telling him what makes a great American." He carefully constructs elaborate, funny, disturbing pieces of art that move and talk; many say he's a genius. Others just say he has no taste. One question might be, hasn't this been done before? The crudeness, yes. The blatancy of the message, definitely. But what Peter Caine has that all his pop-art-line-crossing-wannabes don't have is the ability to laugh at his own creations. As he says, "the most important factor in my work is that I do not make it completely serious." Oh yeah, and he has a pet squirrel. That little fact may also give some insight.

He doesn't try to explain or apologize for the provocative nature of his work, he merely lets it speak for itself; sometimes literally (some of the robots can talk). Caine's sculptures that poke fun at pop icons, and his moving, life-sized tableaus that exaggerate the problems of society are offensive for good reasons. One is so we'll notice them, and another is so we'll laugh at them. While art critics everywhere applaud and analyze his work, it contains a simple, straightforward approach that's remarkably effective. The public responses are mixed: there's gawking, shaking of heads, covering of eyes, and uncontrolled laughter. However positively or negatively people view Caine's exhibits, the images aren't ones they'll forget. We all know exactly what he's saying, and it's hardly ever what we want to hear. But with all the black, white, red, and yellow going on, isn't it time somebody cut the bullshit?

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